6:35 pm
March 10

Big 12 Tournament: Kansas State v. TCU

Who will WIN this matchup?

Kansas State Wildcats (8-19)

TCU Horned Frogs (12-13)

 

Current odds:

Kansas State Wildcats: (+145)

TCU Horned Frogs: (-165)

 

• The line for this game is TCU by 3.5 points.

• Nothing is certain in this season in college basketball, but using past trends, Kansas State and TCU will be playing to avoid the end of their seasons as they square off in the first round of the Big 12 tournament Wednesday evening in Kansas City, Mo.

• Ninth-seeded Kansas State (8-19, 4-14 Big 12) certainly will see its season end if the Wildcats don’t win their first conference tournament title since 1980. Eighth-seeded TCU (12-13, 5-11) won’t be playing in the NCAA Tournament without claiming this weekend’s title, but the Horned Frogs still hold out hope for an NIT berth if they can reach .500 overall.

• The Horned Frogs limped home this season. Their only win in their last seven games came Feb. 27 against Iowa State, which became the fourth team in the 25-year history of the Big 12 to go winless in conference play. During the stretch, the Horned Frogs lost 62-54 to Kansas State on Feb. 20 in a game that ended the Wildcats’ 13-game losing streak.

• The Horned Frogs have been mercurial in 2020-21, with two winning streaks of at least four games and three losing streaks of at least three games. Now they need a four-game winning streak in the conference tournament to reach the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2018 and fifth time in the past 50 years.

• The Horned Frogs are led by one of the better backcourts in the conference. R.J. Nembhard leads TCU in scoring with 15.9 points per game, with Mike Miles second at 13.8.

• Kansas State enters tournament play having won three of its past four games, including a win over then-No. 7 Oklahoma on Feb. 23. The Wildcats are led by their starting backcourt as well, with Nijel Pack averaging 12 points per game and Mike McGuirl at 11.9.

• TCU won the teams’ other meeting this season, 67-60 on Jan. 2.

5/10
Confidence
StreakSmarter Pick
TCU Horned Frogs
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